Destiny
by Flick-chan
Summary: After I destroyed Kenny, I killed Max, and Mariah (just to even up the sexual balance). It just had to be done; Tyson's life would have been in danger if I hadn't. But I swear, as much as it pains me to admit, I think Kai'll be the last.


Author's Notes: This is based on a novel our English professor forced us to read in class. She's a great woman - and I'll always be in her debt.  
  
Disclaimer: How many times have I told you this? I don't own Beyblade, and, unless I win the lottery by some sheer fluke, I probably never will. Also, I don't own the novel this is based on. All credit to its wonderful author.  
  
For Iain Banks; without him, this would never have been possible.

----------------------  
  
Destiny  
  
by Flick-chan

----------------------

The Clock told me to take him.

It said he was the perfect subject; and besides, I needed to know what was going to happen when Tyson got out of jail.  
  
It's not my fault that Kai's my lover.  
  
I feel consumed by guilt as I drag his sedated body down through the house, over cobwebs, over our spilled dinner from the previous day, over the stained sheets that cover the top steps, still matted by last night's love making pleasures. I hadn't wanted to give into him; I knew it'd only make it harder for me today. But, Kai being Kai, was insistent. Admittedly though, last night was some of the best he'd ever given me. You'd think he suspected he was going to die.  
  
I press my lips down upon his, and am shocked when there is no active tongue movement in return. Well, there wouldn't be, would there? I drugged him this morning; sedatives in his breakfast coffee. I knew he wouldn't come willingly to the cellar; unless I told him we were going to sleep together, then, he'd have followed me no bother.  
  
As I stare into his dulled crimson eyes, I ponder whether to tie his wrists together; just to be on the safe side. I can't have another Kenny situation on my hands. God, no. That was awful, the blood stayed in the carpet for weeks after that; I had a hell of a time trying to explain it to Kai.  
  
I decide not to bind him together; he won't struggle, not as long as I'm there, watching. He trusts me. That's the folly that lies in all my close companions; they believe and trust in me. Sometimes, I think it's sweet. But then, that's their loss. I just do what the Clock tells me.  
  
The Clock is my greatest, best kept secret. Not even Kai knows about it; although he is going to be jealous when he finally sees it; there are some excellent places in it to proceed with some seriously heavy petting.  
  
It's down in the cellar. I painted a huge circle on the floor, you see; roman numerals depicted around the sides, ranging from I to VII. At every number, there is a door; a very special door. Stepping over its threshold will trip a small catch, and a piece of wood will slide over the entrance. Once you've chosen which door you're going to enter, there is no escape. The Clock has spoken.  
  
I guess it's debatable if my deaths are humane or not. Personally, I think they're a stroke of genius. Go through doors I to V and you're handing yourself a quick demise. I hope Kai picks one of those doors; I might have to kill him, but that doesn't mean I don't love him. VI to X, well, they're...slow deaths, to put it politely. Being eaten alive by locusts doesn't do much for me, but I guess it must for some people. That was the door that Kenny chose; I could still see blood running down the glass for days after that sacrifice.  
  
Don't get me wrong, I liked Kenny a lot, but the Clock told me that his time was up; and you don't disagree with the Clock.  
  
After I destroyed Kenny, I killed Max, and Mariah (just to even up the sexual balance). It just had to be done; Tyson's life would have been in danger if I hadn't. But I swear, as much as it pains me to admit, I think Kai'll be the last.  
  
The last two doors....they're the most painful way to go. Unfortunately for Mariah, her path guided her to the last door. VII. Not the easiest way to die.  
  
You might wonder what the Clock is. Well, I'll tell you. The Clock shows me the future, gives me signs of what's going to happen. It has this power over me; it'll rule me until the day I die, make no mistake.  
  
Yet, I know without the Clock, my life would be miserable. I can live without Kai...it'll only take me a couple of days to find a new partner. But, Tyson's my brother....I can't get shot of my own flesh and blood; it wouldn't be right. I'm willing to sacrifice anything to make sure that he gets out of jail alive....including my soul mate.  
  
I place Kai down gently, in the middle of the circle. Sadly, I hit the button which lowers the glass cover. I'll never touch him, kiss him, or make love to him again. Maybe it's better this way. I'll never know for sure.  
  
He moves slightly, lifting his left shoulder above the ground. I check my Rolex. Sure enough, the pills should be wearing off about now.  
  
"Goodbye, Kai," I kiss the crystal dome with my mouth, and move away before he has a clear view of me.  
  
"Ray?," I hear him mutter, watching him struggle to a stand. "Where am I?"  
  
I can almost feel the cords in my throat well up. Almost. It's strange to think I'm getting so emotional over someone I barely know; I've never so much as shed a tear before, and yet, here I am now, desperate to cry over nothing. That's what his death is going to be; nothing. Just another notch on my belt of guilt.  
  
"It's a surprise," I reply, softly, straining to hear his hoarse breathing. He seems afraid. He should be; the Clock isn't a place for the faint hearted. "I'm here."  
  
"I can't see you," he stumbles, still weak and disorientated from his dreamless slumber. Pressing his forehead against the glass, he searches for me with wandering eyes. "Come here."  
  
I don't dare approach him; the Clock wouldn't like it. I obey it, no one else. "No," I say, crouching behind an empty box of pickle jars. "It's a test."  
  
"What kind of test?" he asks, fingering the shining crystal prison, noticing, for the first time, the numbers on the floor.  
  
"Choose a door," I stammer. I'm surprised at my inability to speak properly, I never had this difficulty when I was disposing of Kenny; but then, I didn't sleep with him the night before. "It's a surprise," I repeat.  
  
Now, I can't do anything about the door that he chooses, but I can pray; pray that he receives a quick execution. I do it now.  
  
Watching him flounder aimlessly around the circle, pity strikes my heart. I almost feel like calling out to him; but I can't. If I do, the Clock will become useless, whatever it is trying to tell me lost amongst the dying embers of my love.  
  
Suddenly, my heart stops. It can't be. I bite down hard on my lip to resist from shouting to him. It must be fate; he's chosen VII. The very one I would have sold my own soul not to have him touch.  
  
He steps over the threshold, and the wood slips down behind him. That's it. He's trapped; forever.  
  
"Ray!" he calls, moving forward gingerly. "What's going to happen to me?"  
  
I say nothing. The Clock must be playing a cruel trick on me, for this is the very door...the only door...which I have to play a part in the taking of the life. Instinctively, I move to the back of the small glass dome that Kai now stands in, cut off from the outside world.  
  
He sees me, and smiles. If only he knew what I was about to do. He holds his index finger over his lips. He loves me.  
  
I return the gesture, and pause. I release the button that I'm holding down.  
  
Silence.  
  
Then, a scream. Kai is covered in petrol, and not the skin friendly kind. He hammers against the sides of the wall. He's trying to get out, but, as much as I want to help him, I can't. It's been started, it must not be stopped.  
  
I reach up to pull the trigger on the pistol I have set up in there along with him. I had hoped I wouldn't have to use it for a while, but there you go. I block his cries of anguish from my head. I ignore his tears, the coughing fits he has started to have.  
  
I gulp, and squeeze the button.  
  
Boom.  
  
The room fills with fire, catching on to the petrol filled body. I observe Kai's writhing, tormented body flail from side to side, the flames ever increasing on the flammable skin. I can hear him howling in pain, the smell of burning, searing flesh spreading through the air.  
  
"Why!" he bawls. "Why!"  
  
I say nothing, there is no point in trying to explain something as important as the Clock to him; he'll never understand. I am the only person capable of working out its cruel ways, and cruel indeed it has been today.  
  
My subject has chosen a fiery death. This means that when they release Tyson, trouble will follow.  
  
A few minutes later, I gaze upon the charred black elements of the boy I made love to last night. He lies still on the bed of ashes, gone to a better place than the one here. A small, fat tear springs to my eye, and I rush to push it away.  
  
Maybe I really loved him.  
  
I guess I'll never know.  
  
Owari.  
  
Yes, very confusing, I know. If you didn't like it, I will understand. For those of you who are slightly bewildered, the Clock is just a device that Ray has made up, he thinks it's capable of telling the future. He has already used it several times throughout his life, to guide him, or to show him the consequences of a decision. Reviews are always appreciated, thank you for reading.


End file.
